Could It Really Be Genetic?
3. What do people usually think when someone says that they are overweight because of genetics? There is usually the shaking of the head and rolling of the eyes exhibited by the listener. But wait. According to scientists from three major Universities in the UK, a variant of a gene known as the Fatso gene, or more kindly referred to as the FTO gene, could be responsible for some people having a predisposition to obesity and related problems such as diabetes. The gene was first discovered in certain chubby mice, when scientist were searching for markers that signaled increased vulnerability to type 2 diabetes. The FTO gene showed up there too. The study found that people carrying one copy of the FTO gene have a 30% increased risk of being obese compared to a person with no copies. However, a person carrying two copies of the gene has a 70% increased risk of being obese. So how much actual weight could these genes be responsible for? In the UK study, the estimated average increase was only about 7 pounds for a person with two copies compared to a similar person with no copies.
However, scientists now suspect that there are lots of “fat genes”. As many as 100 of them, by some estimations. Each variation adding a pound here and a pound there. Added up that could mean a noticeable difference when it comes to how much more fat that needs to be burned off. It is estimated that as much as 16% of the population have two copies of the FTO gene, and half of us have one copy. While scientists are still attempting to isolate the other suspect genes, so far they suspect that the other possible obesity-promoting genes have a small effect compared with FTO.
So, until scientist figure out how and what to manipulate in the human genome, those who struggle with weight issues, keep yourself and the kids on a healthy diet and exercise often. The silver bullet hasn’t arrived quite yet.
Tags: childhood obesity, obesity, weight gain
